Description: The Flint River is a very special river. For three hundred fifty miles the Flint flows through Georgia unimpeded. This outing will take us through one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse sections, Sprewell Bluff and the Fall Line Ravines. Here the coastal plain flora and fauna intermixes with species of the upper piedmont and mountains. Depending on water levels, we will travel six or nine miles of river that have several easy class two rapids. After the paddle we will car caravan to the Big Lazar Creek Wildlife Management Area for a very short stroll to Hightower Shoals and the rare and endangered Shoals Spider Lilies. The large white flowers of this very showy lily open in the late afternoon and begin to release a most pleasant scent. With luck we should be able to wander amongst hundreds. Threatened Barbour’s Map Turtles and Shoals Bass are inhabitants of these shoals as well.

Location: We will meet at the Flint River Outpost (706-647-2633), west of Thomaston on Highway 36 at 8 am. Canoes and kayaks can be rented at the outpost. There is a shuttle fee. NOTE: Please make your own reservations for the morning shuttle. Hotels are nearby in Thomaston and camping is available at the Outpost and the Wildlife Management Area.

Facilities: Restrooms are located at the Outpost and at Spruill Bluff State Park. The Outpost has a store.

Difficulty: Easy paddling suitable for beginners, but persons must have basic canoeing or kayaking skills.

Bring: Pack a lunch and we will picnic along the river. Sunscreen, a hat, rain jacket, and water should be brought along. Your camera, binoculars, and maybe a hand lens are all recommended. Bring a day pack or other bag to secure items inside your boat.

“Nothing in vegetable nature was more pleasing than the odoriferous, Pancratium fluitans, which alone possesses the little rocky islets just above the water.” William Bartum, Savannah River Shoals near Augusta, ca. 1773. We have given the Shoals Spider Lily a new Latin name, Hymenocallis coronaria, since Bartum’s travels; but this species of the fast water of fall line shoals is no less pleasingly odoriferous.